Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo don't get me going about JF & CM both believe, erroneously, in domination based on faulty studies of artificial captive bred wolf packs.

JF herself has a degree in human psychology(or similar)& wanted to start a business to fill what she saw as a vacant niche in the market. She despises all dog training clubs, obedience training etc She tells people that she has knew ways at looking at dog "education". However her titbit training isn't new it was around 40 years ago. She has been shown up on her TV programs as having a one size fits all method which doesn't work. She was on our local radio station long before she was famous(or should that be infamous).Her answer to most problems was "I'll call you back after the program" & then charged people for the advice off air ! She actually told a caller that her 8 weeks old puppy was obviously trying to dominate her & that she needed urgent help ! All the owner had rung up about was about how to not let the puppy get upstairs as it was a large breed JF said that wanting to get upstairs was showing the dog wanted a higher status than the owner. All the poor woman needed was a baby gate !

As for pinch collar/cheese wire collar under the ears/alpha rolling CM I'll better not comment. Anyone who makes his dogs wait to eat with a food dish in front of them whilst he allows what he considers to be the "Alpha"eat first & then one at a time the lower ranked dogs well words fails me. He took an obviously ill dog from a pound to get it walking etc, then a month later took it to the vet who diagnosed neurological & physical disabilities so severe that the poor thing died, instead of taking the dog to a vet first !

Keep your money in your pocket & stay clear of domination lead "training"

Could`nt agree more..........

It makes me smile every time I see one of these two, teaching their dominant theories, tellling people to stand over a dog and eat a biscuit everytime before feeding

With the poor dog looking on with a complete confused look on his face

I have never yet seen her cure a problem dog!!!!!!!!

I've just seen this on one of her"Amichien"qualified listeners
Er JF studied wolves in the wild ????? I think not when she was starting out she quoted verbatim from studies of artificial captive packs in zoos & wild life parks. Hm where did the titbit training come from in the wild ?? I've watched loads of footage of real wild packs & never seen the Alpha's giving treats to the lower ranked dogs. I have however seen them regurgitating food for both puppies & the lowest ranked wolves(the nursemaids left to guard the puppies whilst the Alphas etc go hunting) & then eating what was left-which hardly equates to treating !. Haven't even seen captive wolves giving treats to other wolves.

False premises used to earn them huge amounts of money & in CM's case(he was an illegal immigrant BTW)got him a business that has secured him US citizenship

Hello and welcome.
I agree with a lot of what has been said on here. I read a JF book once...just to see what all the fuss was about and I couldn't believe the things that she suggested...I did a thread on it, if you search 'Jan Fennell' on here you'll find a lot of threads I think,hardly any positive.
If I were you, I would chat to my vet or take a look at the websites Mini posted.
Good luck, please keep us posted as to how you get on.

I don't know much on Jan F and her methods. But I do recall phoning a local trainer here once who told me she used JF's method's (and is listed on the website). I asked about what days she held classes etc. She told me no, she didn't hold classes as it was too difficult to try and keep 6 dogs under control in the one place.
Needless to say I didn't go for the £80 an hour private sessions with her!

I think that Jan Fennell's methods are easy to understand and follow. I was considering getting a dog listener come and see my dog a while ago but the high bill prevented me from doing so. If you can- get one of the listeners she has trained herself, or who have been qualified for some time. I had a choice between two local listeners- one who was an associate dog listener and one who was preliminary. I don't know if it makes any difference but my head was telling me- if I'm going to spend that much, make sure you get a really good one. I settled on a lovely lady called Shona Moon in the end- but she's probably not near your area. She's an 'associate' which means she was trained by Jan herself.
The good thing about 'dog listeners, or whisperers like Cesar Millan is they don't just train your dog, they actually sort out the dog's mind. The dog learns some commands as well, but you end up getting rid of the need to battle with your dogs will if they're feeling hyper or dominant. When a situation like that occurs, a lure or command is not going to fix it.
Best of luck! I think it's money well spent- I understand one person's comment about how she is prone to plaguerism (is that how u spell it?) which may well be true. Or it could be that her method is very similar to other's because dogs no matter where you are, dogs are the same, so effective methods will inevitably be similar. Either way, it's obvious that her method is a good one, and she knows what she's doing. Whether she's copied it from someone else or not! It's money worth spending if you get a better relationship with your dog.

Sorry you are having problems with your dog.

Regarding getting some help, I agree with Minihaha - find a reputable trainer or behaviourist in your area - your vet should be able to help.

After seeing JF in action on her TV programme with the one size fits all approach to dog training, I wouldn't go anywhere near her.

Thank you all for your comments.

There does seem to be a mixed bag of opinions, however they do seem very black or white - people either rate her methods or hate them, no grey areas.

I've also looked at all the threads from the forums, and again, the opinions are very mixed.

I guess it's one of these areas in life where you have to make a decision on something - and hope you're making the right one. I don't want to simply train my dog, I want to really click with him and for us to understand each other. It seems the 'Dog Listener' method could achieve this. However, I don't want to end up with a lifeless, depressed dog as some think I will do.

I will continue to give it thought, thank you all again.

You can only make the decision based on what you know, of JFs methods and you and your dog.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Are you having specific problems with your dog or you just want to ensure a great partnership?

I think any kind of enjoyable activity or work you can do together with your dog will help cement a really strong partnership.